Operating means for rotary electric switches.



I J. K. mix. OPEBKTING MEANS FOR ROTARY ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

' .APPLIOATIOK FILED DBO. 4:, 1906.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

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may @MM J. K. LUX. I OPERATING MEANS FOR ROTARY ELECTRIC SWITCHES.

APPLIGATIGH FILED 1020.4, 1906,

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

977,81&

2 BHBETS-BKEBT 2.

.UNITED O E I a' umu's k 1.1117111, or W'AVS'IE'INGTITQH, nrs'rnrcaior COLUMBIA;

I ornnn'rme MEANS roe Roma! .nnnc'rnro :swrrcnns.

Application filed December 4, 1906. Serial a... an.

, Specifleatioii of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

To all whom it may concem: I

Beit known that I, Junrus .K. LU... citi-- zeno'f the United States, residing at Washmgton, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Operating :Means for Rotary Electric Switches, of which the following is a specihad therein to the fication, reference being accompanying drawing. I

y present invention relates to improvements in operating .rneansfor rotary electric switches, and has special-reference to a ban dle and switch operatingmeans especially constructed and insulated to obviate the dif-n ficulties in the insulation of the parts and.

the manufacture and Wearing qualities of the devlces in present use. Inorder to produce the desired results, I form a handle preferably from a plastic material by moldmg with a central opening I or cavity for the reception of the usual-spindle engaging plunger, a novel means being provided for securing the said plunger within the handle andalso for assisting. in strengthening the handle. This securing means may be attached when the handle material is being molded or by heating the handle after moldpurpose, sai a opposite sides of the plunger cavity and ing and then pressing the fastening into thev plastic or warm handle. .The said parts will then be held in positionby the plastic material. The said fastening means is iir serted throu h apertures formedfor such (F apertures being-formed upon.

preferably between it and the exterior-of the handle, so that the fastening will sit astride the cavity The fastening means may with the handle part be heated and the two joined to ether while warm, the extremities of the sa1d'means1'being inserted in'the yielding material of'the handle. The most desirable manner of securing said means to thehandie, howevelyis to mold the handle, and then while the handle and securing means are warm the said means is pressed into place.

After cooling the handle has the partembedded or secured therein,

It is evident that many ways of attaching the retaining means may be used without departing from. the spirit of my invention. l

In the preferredform of handle, the Icavity exten I o the fastening means for the plunger has been attached and the-handle cooled,- the plunger its related parts are inserted through the top of the handle, and .held in place s through the handle, and after' means of an ex ansible 'retainin means,

\ which inconjunctlon with insulate disk E and a spring closure at the upper, end of the cavity hold the plunger in position. The lower, extremity .of-the fastening means is c e ption of the lower portion of the plunger, and vwith'means E for engaging the snapswitc mechanism, said means sitting astride the projection F attached to the spindle G Thesevarious features are set forth in de-' tail, in the accompanying drawings, descripf tion and claims.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure l is a longitudinal section through the complete handle. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the lower fastenin means before bending. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the-expansible retaining disk.

Fig. 5 is a detail View of the upper end of the spindle and spring connecting means. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of a modi-' fied form of handle. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section through the cover. Fig. 8 is a top plan view of a portion therepf, illustrating the means of holding the insulating disk in place." Fig. 9 is a plan view of said disk,

and Fig. 10 is a sectional view of'a portion of the cover, showing the handle in operable position.

end, while in Fig. (3, it is simply a cavity or' socket H. The recesses flare also formed simultaneously with the central cavity, as are alsothe vertical channels i which terminate in the enlarged bores "E the purpose of which will presently appear.

The handle brace and plunger fastenmg 'also provided with an aperture for the redevice A, is made from a single piece of I sheet metal, the blank'of which is clearly illustratedin Fig. 3. It is referably heated and inserted into the hen e,' which is also heated -to about the same temperature, the

lie

said part Aassuming the osition as clearly shown Fig.1.eThe dev ce, may, however,"

while in order be molded in place when the handle is mold ed, or it may be inserted while the handle is .cool, by passing channels ff, an

the ends through the bending the terminals laterally, as at f, in the enlarged bores E When the material of the handle is soft as from the reheating above indicated the tion a of the device A, is the downwardly 20 projecting prong or tooth f, having at one side a long inclined surface to produce a slip-driveof the spindle in one direction and at the other side a' perpendicular edge to produce a positive drive of said spindle in the opposite direction and terminating in the recess or rounded notch E which latter is adapted to sit astride the bail F, which is guided into said notch by means of the rounded abutment f. By this means when,

the handle is revolved, the spindle and sprin are revolved to operate the switch.

Andthe handle E G are positioned relatively to the movable contact.

I would have it understood, that the device A' may be attached to the handle with or without heating any of the parts when the same is pressed in the handle, the parts having been heated, there may or may not be any channels to receive the device, and when there are none the toothed extremities form their respective channels'and are engaged and embedded by contraction v and hardening 'of the yielding or the homogeneous mass of the handle.

. In the constructlon shown in Fig. 1, after the device A has been attached and the handle has cooled, the plunger E, and its spring shown in Fig.

'pansible, disk E ,veX plate having saw-teeth g and the disk e are placed in the reduced end being capped by the disk E, of insulation; and to hold and retain the parts in place, I em loy the ex of the cavity, the same lpansible disk E and the cap This exconsists of a concavo-"conupon its periphery or circumferential edge,

grooves g',.being provided to allow for the expansion and contraction of the disk, to properly insert and lock the disk in the handle, I provide the central Y-shaped opening 9 for the reception of a a screw driver or other tool.

To secure'the disk E in place, the same is Y inserted into the enlarged end" of the cavity,

and the indicating means as clearly plied.

4, the radiating slots or means the disk when contracted fitting the cavity until itrests upon the disk E, at which time, a suitable tool is inserted in the Y- shaped opening. The tool is now. revolved nnde'r pressure thereby revolving and pressing the disk downand expanding the same so that the saw-teeth cut into the walls of the cavity and form a circular or annular channel for its periphery. To reinforce the expansible disk, and also to lockit against movement, I employ the cap E whose crimped edge E engages the body of the projecting knob or boss of the handle, and is held in place thereon, the cylindrical heade carried by the cap, abutting against the upper face of the expansible-disk and thus holding the same seated. r a

In the modified form of handle shown in Fig. 6, I insert the ,plunger and its parts in the cavity H, before attaching/the device A,

the upper end'of the cavitfl ssuming the functions of the expansible disk and cap E. This form is adapted for use when the molded material is ofsuitable. resiliency to retain the part A. when cooled with or without riveting.

In Figs. '7, 8 and 9, I have'illustratcd a means whereb the said handle and its parts are insulated from the cap or cover Nathe cover being provided with the inner lining N of insulation, and a means whereby the insulation disk N is held in place, the openings through the disk and lining being smaller than that ofthe cover so that'fthemetallic parts projecting through the cover will thus be insulatedtherefrom.

To properly seatandhold the disk N I provide the countersunk receptacle a, dovetailed in cross section,.and centrally of the cover:- and I cut from its walls the, prongs N..thus providing the openings N so that asthe disk N 'is snappet within the receptacle 11, its circumferential prongs or points a, enter the openings N while theprongs X, project over the edge and the body of the disk, and thus assist in holding the disk seated."-- 1 I Upon the body of the cover, are provided indicating marks as N the pointsGd, of the handle pointing toward the same, to indicate.

The

whether the switch is on or. off insulation part N may be softened in any suitable manner-, as by moisture or heat, to make it'yield when applying it .to the cover, or to make it lock or set in place when ap- 1. In an axially movable-circuit controllingdevice, an operating means with a cavity adjacent its axis, a ity, fastening means for said plunger, and for holding said j fastening :means, said. fastening within the handle which'is' caused to yield to lock with said handle." I

plunger in said cavmeans comprisingla portion Which it is attached.

3. An operating means for an axially movable -c1rcu1t oontrolllng device comprismg a handle havlng a .cavity adyacent its axis, a plunger in the cavity, a plungerplate secured-to the inner-side of; the handle across the adjacent end of said cavity and slidably interlocked with the plunger to rotate the latter, and retaining means for the plunger including an expansibledisk in the cavity across the outer end of the plunger and having its edges embedded in the walls of the cavity.

4. An operatin means-for axially movable circuit contro ling devices, comprising a body portion having an opening therethrough, a plunger mounted in the opening, and an expansible disk bridging the opening at the outer end of the plunger to retain the latter in position.

5. In an axially movable bircuit controlling device,'an operating spindle, a spring engaging said spindle, a' handle, a plunger therein in engagement with the spindle, and a retainer for the plunger engaging the handle and provided with a device to sit astride the connection between the spring and spindle.

6. In an axially movable circuit controlinsulator in the with the cover and also provided with an lingdevice, an operating member having an aperture therethrough enlarged at its, end, a plunger aperture, ing bod end of the aperture.

outer playing in the aperture, an insulating body int-he enlarged endjof the a spring'disk holding the insulaty in place, and a cover for the outer 7. In an axially movable circuit 'igontrol ling device, an operating member having an openlng, an insulator seated 1n the open ng, a retalner for the insulator, and a cover for the outer end of the openi g.

8. In an axially movable circuit cont-rol-' ling device, a cover having an opening, an opening and interlocked opening, a spindle, an operating handle for the spindle, and slip drive connections he'- tween the operating handle and spindle and having portions thereof extending throug the opening in the insulator.

9. In an axially movable circuit controlling device, an opera-ting spindle, a projection carried thereby, a handle, a plunger mounted therein adapted to engage the spin-, dle, and means sitting astride the plunger and engaging the handle to hold the plunger in the handle and provided with means to sit astride'the spindle projection for the purpose set forth.

I11 testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JULIUS K. Lox; IVitnesses J oHN'L. FLETcHEn, GEO. M. Bonn. 

